Winter
by The Wandering Swordsman
Summary: Christmas Gift for IshiIchiMari. Luffy, four years old, spends his first snowy day with Ace. Fluff AcexLuffy.


**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

The weather in Fusha Village was warmer than its neighboring islands. The spring was comfortable, the summer was hot but dry, the autumn was slightly cool, and winter was cold but not enough for it to snow. The first time when a snow cloud flew over the island and left a wonderful gift was when Luffy was just four years old.

The boy's eyes grew so wide when he saw the unfamiliar icy white objects covered the ground. He quickly woke his family up to show them the surprise. Garp did not stir and continued to snore away even when Luffy tried kicking him in the place that should have hurt.

"Fine!" Luffy yelled at his grandfather, "If you don't want to wake up then don't!" He then rushed into his brother's room.

He leaped onto the little mound under the blankets and pounded his fists onto it, "Brother, Brother! The sky is dropping something!"

"Huh?" Ace finally got up, but his eyes were still closed from his heavy eyelids. He scratched at his short wavy hair and finally pulled open his eyes. He glared at Luffy who interrupted his sleep. "What?"

"Something's falling from the sky!"

"Is it rain?"

"No, it's white!"

Ace was older than Luffy by three years so he had some experience of the world, "It's called snow." He saw the bright light emitting from Luffy's curious eyes. Before the older one could react, Luffy grabbed his hand and jerked him out of the bed. Ace landed painfully on his face and he screamed in protest as Luffy tried to drag him all the way to the front door. Luffy's height was barely higher than Ace's abdomen but the kid had strength. Ace yanked his hand away from Luffy when he was able to sit up.

He rubbed at his rug burned nose, "Wait, I need to change first!" He paused and glanced down at what Luffy was wearing. The boy was still in his pajamas, "Idiot! If you go outside in that you're going to catch a cold!"

"But I don't know how to change Brother."

"Don't call me Brother." Ace sighed, "I'll get you something, but wait here." Luffy nodded and crawled onto Ace's bed. Ace gathered the warmest clothes as possible and first dressed himself. Checking to make sure he buttoned the right places and zipped up every part of his orange jacket he then turned to Luffy. He told the child to undress while he fetched his clothes. He found a thick furry red coat with little bear shaped buttons down the middle. He also found some fuzzy socks, cotton sweaters, and a knitted hat that Makino had made.

Ace didn't except to see Luffy completely naked on the bed. His face reddened at the blatant nakedness and he shook his mind off. "Come on Luffy." The kid giggled and laughed as Ace tried very hard to push Luffy's hands through the sweaters and jackets. When they were finally done, Ace took Luffy's hand and headed outside.

The snow had fallen more than half a foot and Luffy's knees were deep in. Luffy squealed in delight as he darted into the snow and rolled around in the cold. Ace watched from a distance as the boy ventured out into the familiar but mysterious place. Ace shuffled his hands in his pockets and kicked the snow under his feet.

He raised his head when he heard Luffy's voice, "Brother! Come over here! There's a lot of snow here too!" Ace frowned and stomped over. Luffy was on a top of a steep hill and it took Ace a lot of effort to climb it. Grinning, Luffy sat on the snow and slid all the way down like a slide. Near the end, there was a rough heap of snow and Luffy crashed into it. The child continued to laugh and gestured a hand at Ace, "Come on Brother!"

"Don't call me Brother!" Ace fumed.

Luffy stopped laughing and his eyes began to water, "W-why?"

"I'm not your brother! Didn't Garp tell you that?" Ace bit his lip and his frown deepened as Luffy's expression flipped.

"T-then what am I supposed to call you?" Luffy sniffled. Tears were already rolling down his cheeks. Ace suddenly felt bad. He sometimes hated how short tempered he could be at times. Now Luffy was crying and trying to comfort a crying Luffy was a task on its own. Ace slid down the snow covered hill and stopped just before he landed on the clump where Luffy had stumbled. Ace knelt down and gently patted Luffy's tiny back, but of course that didn't help. Ace bit his lip and, hesitating for a second, he leaned in and kissed Luffy in the cheek.

"I-I'm sorry." Ace apologized while staring at the ground. The sniffles had stopped and Luffy was quiet, waiting for the other to do something. His eyes were red, just like his cold running nose. The expression was pathetic, but Ace thought it was adorable. He formed a smile, "You can call me Ace."

"Ace?" Luffy asked, but it sounded more as if he was repeating it to himself. When Ace nodded, the sunlight beam was back on Luffy's face, "Okay!" Luffy sat up straight and kissed Ace back but in the lips. Ace's eyes widened slightly and when Luffy drew away, there was a blush left on his cheeks. The young boy stood up and brushed the snow off his little butt.

Ace got up and brushed off himself as well. When he was finished he brought out a hand, "Let's go to the market and ask for some cardboard boxes to use as sleds." Luffy's mouth formed a huge grin and quickly held hands, eager to enjoy more of this snowy atmosphere.

**The End**


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